Cottonwood man arrested in wife's murder

An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Cottonwood resident Mark Duenas, 52, in connection with the murder of his wife, Karen Kay Duenas, 51.

Mark Duenas was arrested at his home and booked into Shasta County Jail on the charge of murder.

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department was sent to the couple's residence in the 20400 block of Robinson Glen Drive in Cottonwood at 12:57 a.m. on May 5 for a report of a woman with major injuries.

Upon arrival deputies found Karen Duenas, who was pronounced dead at the scene, inside the residence, according to a Shasta County Sheriff's press release.

Major Crimes Detectives responded and took over the investigation with Mark Duenas named a person of interest during the initial investigation. He was interviewed by detectives but soon cut off all ties with the office, according to the release.

The investigation continued for months as there were numerous amounts of evidence located at the scene needing to be processed, including DNA, which the Department of Justice aided Shasta County by processing, the release said.

After analyzing all evidence and conducting many interviews, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office determined that Mark Duenas murdered his wife, the release said.